Theory and Analysis of Drama 1

Display Schedule

Code Completion Credits Range Language Instruction Semester
207TAR1 ZK 3 2T Czech summer

Subject guarantor

Jan JIŘÍK

Name of lecturer(s)

Jan JIŘÍK

Learning outcomes of the course unit

  1. Acquaint students with contemporary theatre theory and its historic and modern development in relation to changes in the forms of drama writings.
  2. A brief historical exursion to acquaint students with Aristotle's poetics and its influency on drama theory in the Enlightenment, on civic theatre and classical theory and practice (Lessing, Goethe, Schiller).
  3. Acqaint students, in detail, with theory and practical analysis of individual categories and elements of drama forms (according to the theories of G. Freytag, M. Pfister, M. Lukes, E. Fischer-Lichte, F. Schloessler) as main and adjunct writings, drama figures, behaviour and event, drama language, time and space.
  4. Acquaint students with theory and analysis of closed and open theatre forms.
  5. Acquaint students with the changes and crises of drama forms at the turn of 19th to 20th century (see P. Szondi), penetrating into lyric and epic tendencies, subjectivization or alienation to modern drama: analysis of particular examples from the static, symbolistic, through psycho-analytical, expressionistic, Pirandelo's meta-drama, to epic drama.
  6. Acquaint students with post-dramat theory (H.-T. Lehmann, G. Poschmann) and analysis of various forms of post-drama writings for theatre (E. Jelinek, P. Handke, H. Mueller).

Mode of study

Reading theory and drama writings, moderated discussions about them, short written analyses of examples of drama writings focusing on various formal theatre categories, discussion about student writings and interactive expanding of analyses of writings in class.

Prerequisites and co-requisites

  1. Basic knowledge of Czech and world drama literature.
  2. Analysis and review skills.

Course contents

A one-semester course in drama theory and analysis:

Drama theory mapping the historical, modern and post-drama changes in drama poetics theory and drama forms themselves.

The theory section provides a definition and characteristics of individual categories and attributes of drama forms in their closed and open forms (main and adjunct writings, drama figures, behaviour and event, drama language, time and space). In the practical section of the course the students will learn to apply analysis of drama categories in the the analysis of particular drama writings from various periods and genres.

The course approximates, as well, the crisis of drama form at the turn of the 19th to 20th century and its theory review. In the practical section the students will practice with an analysis of a particular writing from the turn of the 19th to 20th century, the first and second halves of the 20th century. Students are also acquainted with post-drama theory with examples of post-drama writings for theatre.

  1. A brief historical exursion: Aristotle's poetics and its influence on civic theatre (Lessing, Goethe, Schiller), drama poetics Sturm und Drang (Goethe, Schiller, Lenz), theory and practice of Goethe's classicism. Analysis of civic theatre examples (Lessing, Schiller, Lenz) and classical drama (Goethe).
  2. Theory and practical analysis of individual categories and elements of drama forms according to M. Pfister, M. Lukes, G. Freytag, E. Fischer-Lichte, F. Schloessler, Z. Hořínek.
  3. Closed and open theatre forms.
  4. Crises of drama forms at the turn of 19th to 20th century (see P. Szondi, Z. Hořínek ), penetrating into lyric and epic tendencies of drama form, subjectivization, alienation, meta-drama (Maeterlinck, ibsen, Strindberg, Czechov, Pirandello, Brecht.
  5. Post-drama theory (H.-T. Lehmann, G. Poschmann, M. Meister) linked to analysis of various forms of post-drama writings for theatre of differing poetics, topics and critical focus (E. Jelinek, P. Handke, H. Mueller, W. Schwab).

Recommended or required reading

Literature:

Fischer-Lichte, Erika. Dejiny drámy, Bratislava: Divadelný ústav, 2003

Freytag, Gustav. Technika dramatu.

Hořínek, Zdeněk. Absurdní drama,Dostupné z: http://host.divadlo.cz/art/clanek.asp?id=1422

Hořínek, Zdeněk. Cesty moderního dramatu, Praha: Nakladatelství Studia Ypsilon, 1995.

Hořínek, Zdeněk. Drama, divadlo, divák, Brno: JAMU, 2012.

Hořínek, Zdeněk. Brechtovské paradoxy, Divadelní revue, roč. 20, č. 3, 2009, s. 22-26.

Hořínek, Zdeněk. Tragédie, Divadelní revue, roč. 12, č. 2, 2001, s. 73-77.

Hořínek, Zdeněk. Komedie, Divadelní revue, roč. 12, č. 4, 2001, s. 80-81.

Lehmann, Hans-Thies. Postdramatické divadlo, Bratislava: Divadelný ústav, 2007.

Lukeš, Milan. Umění dramatu, Praha: Melantrich, 1987.

Szondi, Peter. Teória modernej drámy, Bratislava: Tatran, 1969.

Selected plays by:

Lessinga, Schillera, Goetha, Lenze, Maeterlincka, Ibsena, Strindberga, Čechova, Brechta, Handkeho, Schwaba, Jelinek, Müllera,

Elective literature:

Englhart, Andreas. Das Theater der Gegenwart, München: Verlag C. H. Beck, 2013.

Bayerdörfer, Hns-Peter (ed.). Vom Drama zum Theatertext? Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag, Theatron, 2007

Grimm, Reinhold (d.). Deutsche Dramentheorien I. Beiträge zu einer historischen Poetik des Dramas in Deutschland, Wiesbaden: Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft Athenaion, 1980.

Kesting, Marianne. Panorama des zeitgenössischen Theaters. 50 literarische Portäts, München: Piper Verlag, 1969.

Pelka, Artur; Tigges, Stefan (eds.). Das Drama nach dem Drama. Verwandlungen dramatischer Formen in Deutschland seitn 1945, Bielefeld: transcript Verlag, 2011.

Pfister, Manfred. Das Drama

Poschmann, Gerda. Der nicht mehr dramatische Theatertext, Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag, Theatron, 1997.

Schössler, Franziska. Einführung in die Dramenanalyse, Stuttgart-Weimar: Verlag J. B. Metzler, 2012.

Arnold, Heinz Ludwig (ed.). Theater fürs 21. Jahrhundert, Text + Kritik. Zeitschrift für Literatur. Sonderband, XI/04, münchen: edition text + kritik, 2004.

Assessment methods and criteria

Credit is awarded based on:

Class participation,

completion of short written analyses of drama and theory writings,

presentation of those analyses in class and discussions about them and the theory writings, which were the starting point for the analysis,

general discussion on the changes in poetics and drama and instruments for their analysis and review.

During the course the readings of theory and drama writings and participation in class discussions and at least 80% attendance in class are required.

Grading - based on the written and oral activity during the semester. The overall grade is comprised of 40% for class participation, 35% for the written work and 25% for oral presentation and discussion about the written work.

Requirement to successfully complete the course class participation, completion and presentation of written analyses.

Schedule for winter semester 2018/2019:

The schedule has not yet been prepared

Schedule for summer semester 2018/2019:

06:00–08:0008:00–10:0010:00–12:0012:00–14:0014:00–16:0016:00–18:0018:00–20:0020:00–22:0022:00–24:00
Mon
Tue
Wed
room TR2-0121
Room KTK 121
(Tržiště 20, Praha 1 (vchod z Rektorátu AMU, Malostranské nám. 12))
JIŘÍK J.
15:00–18:00
ODD WEEK
(parallel1)
Thu
Fri
Date Day Time Tutor Location Notes No. of paralel
Wed 15:00–18:00 Jan JIŘÍK Room KTK 121
Tržiště 20, Praha 1 (vchod z Rektorátu AMU, Malostranské nám. 12) 		parallel1

The subject is a part of the following study plans